Manx Care to Look at Reducing Off-Island Costs

Manx Care is to explore a shift towards virtual outpatient clinics as a way to reduce costs while maintaining patient care standards.

The move comes amidst efforts to manage a projected £14.7 million overspend and need to cut costs in the next financial year.

The health service is currently reviewing how outpatient appointments are delivered by its off-island providers, particularly in the North West of England

Off-island costs are having a large impact on this year’s overspend, with Manx Care asking hospital in the north west to pause routine activity for the next two months.

Manx Care CEO Teresa Cope said: “The money we spend with off island providers costs us around £32m per year.

“That is overspending significantly and we know that is is partly because people are going back there for outpatients that potentially we could do here on the island, or we could convert those to virtual outpatients and that would all help us with our financial position.”

Ms Cope did however street that where people need to go across for appointments or treatment, such as for cancer treatment or trauma casualties who need specialist treatment, that will still happen.

Virtual

While virtual doctor’s appointments have become more normalised in the UK, particularly in rural areas, they are yet to really take off on the island.

Ms Cope said: “Virtual outpatient clinics are very, very popular and should be used where possible in order to make it better for the patient but also to prevent the costs of traveling too.

“So it is about that dialog with those North West providers, because actually, it’s not sustainable for us to continue significantly over spending on those contracts as we as we move into the next financial year.”

The proposal of holding virtual appointments had been raised before Manx Care came into existence, but Ms Cope said the infrastructure and agreements had never been put into place.

She hopes this will be something Manx Care can look to implement in the next financial year.

See our full interview with Ms Cope below: